Coronavirus PCR

Sample Requirement

Turnaround Time

Faeces (ideally submitted chilled)

2 working days

We offer a quantitative PCR assay for the detection of equine coronavirus RNA in faeces, and it can be combined with our other panels of tests to screen for infectious causes of intestinal disease in horses.

The virus has been reported to be present in the USA, Japan and France and Rossdales Laboratories detected the first positive case in the UK in December 2016.

The main clinical signs associated with infection in adult horses are anorexia, lethargy and fever, with diarrhoea and colic signs less frequently reported. More serious complications associated with infection include endotoxaemia, septicaemia and encephalopathy associated with hyperammonaemia, however these complications are rare and most horses recover with supportive care. Leucopaenia with lymphopaenia and/or neutropaenia are the main haematological abnormalities seen in clinical cases.

The true incidence of the disease in the UK is not known, but initial screening by our laboratory suggests it is likely to be relatively uncommon. However, in horses with compatible clinical signs, testing can help investigate this possible cause. The virus primarily infects the small intestinal mucosa and a faeco-oral route of transmission is suspected.